Superstars II
by dancingdriver
Summary: There's a new Lilly and a new Veronica in town. Many years after leaving Neptune and having her life set up, Veronica comes face to face with her past in a way she never saw possible.
1. Chapter 1

I have to thank elschaaf for betaing this (and my other story too, by the way). she's making these things a million times better, i can assure you.

There will be spoilers ahead for the whole show, not for this particular chapter though. And this goes AU after the end of season 3, except for a few plots.

The tittle is from a singer from my hometown named David Fonseca (you should go check him out 'coz he's great!)

Oh, and i'm no better than tinkerbell, i need reviews to live. thank you ^^

-/-

"Hi mom. Did you bring dinner? I'm starving. How come we never have food in the house? God I miss going to Amy's for ice cream with grandpa. When are we going to Neptune, mom? I miss grandpa."

Veronica barely had time to shut the door and put down her things. Her daughter's speaking ability had always amazed her. There are people that talk a lot and people that talk fast and her daughter could do both with perfection.

"Hi Lilly. Yes I brought dinner. We have food, just not the food you want. I don't know when we're going to Neptune again. Can you please get some tea going while I go shower and change? Thanks."

She had lost her best friend Lilly many years ago. That had shaped her and transformed her into a new Veronica. When she got pregnant she immediately knew the baby would be named Lilly. Even before she found out if she was having a girl or a boy. In Veronica's mind it was always going to be a girl named Lilly. And this Lilly changed her again.

Except for the name, they had little in common. But just like the necklace Lilly Kane had given her so many years ago, she still felt like she had a piece of Lilly with her every day.

She's back from her shower, feeling refreshed, relaxed and most of all ready to hear the explosion of things her 13 year old daughter would spit her way. Sometimes she regretted asking her about her day but she could never stop herself from doing it every single day. As she's sitting, she grabs her cup of tea and braces herself for the burst from Lilly.

"How was school?"

"It was good. Mrs. Heenly almost suspended me again for talking during class but I swear I didn't do anything. Lunch sucked as always, how can they feed us that… thing? OH MY GOD MOM! This amazing thing happened! There's a new girl in our class, she just moved here from San Diego. She's so funny! Guess what her name is!" Lily says overly excited.

"Lilly… I don't know… I'm tired and... What's her name?"

"No, moooom! You have to guess. You're gonna love it, I promise!"

"I… I love your name, is it Lilly?"

"No, gosh… mom! Her name is Veronica! Wasn't your best friend growing up named Lily? How funny is that?

Veronica smiles at her daughter and says "yes honey, that's funny. Where is she from?"

"I just told you mom!" Lilly said with her best annoyed teenage voice. "Well she lived in San Diego for ever but her mom is from upstate and her dad is from Neptune. I told her you were from there to but she said she's never been. But maybe you know her dad? She's so much fun mom. I think I just found my new best friend: Veronica! She actually goes by Ronnie." Lilly proclaims triumphantly.

And Veronica can't stop the explosion coming from her mouth, only hers is tea and it gets all over the kitchen counter.

"Oh ewwww mom! What is wrong with you? That's disgusting…"

"Sorry honey, I… hmmm… I chocked. Let me clean this up. Please go set the table so we can eat".

-/-

After dinner, homework revision and some tv, Lilly is finally asleep and Veronica starts wondering. "_A girl named Veronica, nicknamed Ronnie from Neptune? Really? Is this the freakin' Twilight Zone?"_ The confusion in her head lulls her to sleep and she dreams of high school, the fab four and Logan.

-/-

A few days past and all Veronica hears about from Lilly is how Veronica (two, Veronica had "baptized" her) was so much fun, so great, so amazing, so everything she was not anymore to her little girl. Her phone rings and she sees it is Lilly calling during school hours and her heart jumps.

"Lilly? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"No, mom, everything's fine. Look…" and she's laughing at something Veronica couldn't decipher over the phone. "So, Ronnie invited me to go to her house today after school, can I come mom? Please…" she begs the way only teenage girls can do.

"Sorry Lilly, but you know what day it is. On Thursdays it's Dad's night. He's looking forward to seeing you. And besides, it's a school night. No can do kiddo, sorry."

"But I know dad doesn't mind, we have dinner every Thursday, it's fine…"

"Lilly, next week Wallace is coming for a visit and you'll already have to skip dinner with dad. Sorry honey, really, but you'll have to reschedule ok?"

"Fine… fine, mom. I'll tell Ronnie."

As Veronica is sighing in relief for the dodged bullet her gut spasms at the sound of the nickname. _Oh god, what is going on? Maybe we should pack and move? Alaska maybe?_

-/-

A few weeks had passed and she couldn't hear Lilly anymore pleading to do something with Veronica Two. So she called the girl's mom, Annie Hardenberg, a NYU professor and set up the Friday night movie. The girls would be going to Veronica's house to eat and watch a movie and by 10 pm Veronica would pick Lilly up and bring her home.

And just like her and Lilly so many years ago, this new Lily and new Veronica were becoming best friends very quickly.

The one time movie night became an every other week affair happening on either house. And after a few months and a few coffee cups with Annie during pick-up and drop-offs, Veronica was feeling ok with the sleepover the girls had begged for so long.

To be on the safe side, Veronica decided to host the first sleepover. She had barely spent any nights away from Lilly except for when she had been at her dads. And she wanted to make sure everything went fine.

Just like she imagined, the hanging out and the sleepovers where becoming more and more frequent. And now they took place not only at the girls' houses but also at their dads' houses. Up until now Annie told her that they had gone to Veronica's dad's house a few afternoons after school. Annie had told her Veronica's dad was a pilot for Enbom Airlines and was very keen on staying in whenever he wasn't flying.

"Hi Veronica, it's me, Annie. Gosh this is still weird…" Annie chuckled.

"Hi Annie. I know, right? How's everything?"

"Great. Look I know the girls were supposed to sleep over at our place this weekend but I have a conference in Berkley and I'd like to clear with you if it would be ok for them to go over to Ronnie's dad's for the sleepover"

Veronica's first instinct was to tell Annie that they could do it at their house but she quickly remembered that she was working out of town this weekend.

"Yeah. Sure, they can go" Veronica said not very convinced.

"I know this is last minute. Sorry to throw this on you like this but I can assure you that they'll be fine."

"Oh… no, sorry Annie. I know they'll be ok. Yeah, sure Lilly can go. Her dad will have to pick her up since I won't be back before Tuesday. I'll ring him and tell him the new pick-up site.

"Ok, no problem. Have a nice trip"

"Thank you. You too. Bye"


	2. Chapter 2

**to the thank yous now: ****thank you elschaaf for the beta work. ****thanks everyone who reviewed and faved and followed ^^ **

other notes: the dads will be making an appearance soon and we'll find out where in the world is Logan Echolls soon, i promise. (yes, one thing relates to the other. surprise!)

hope you like it and please review =)

-/-

Christmas was almost here and Veronica was preparing for their trip to Neptune. Keith had come to New York for the last few years for the holidays but she missed seeing Mac, Wallace and a little bit of sun. Also, she didn't want Lilly to think that the ocean was the same rat color as the Hudson River or to stay ghostly white forever.

"Lilly?" Veronica called, seeing her daughter's bedroom door closed. "Lilly?" She knocked this time.

Lilly came to the door with an annoyed look on her face and her phone balanced between her ear and her shoulder. "What, mom? I'm talking to Ronnie…" she matched her voice with her face.

"What…? But you left school not two hours ago! What could possibly have happened between then and now for you to… never mind. Have you started packing already? We're leaving in five days. You should make sure you don't need anything washed or something."

Veronica could see the mess behind her daughter. Clothes were scattered all over her bedroom floor. She had two bags opened with clothes and shoes coming out of them.

"Honey, we're going for a week. To grandpa's house… You don't need to take your whole closet with you…" Veronica said.

"I know right?" Lilly said to her phone and giggled. "I know, mom. I'm just trying everything because Ronnie is going to tell me what I should take. We're skyping later so I can show her my outfits as soon as she gets home from soccer practice."

"Lilly, we've been to Neptune before, you know what you should pack…" Veronica replied, irritated.

"Yeah, well, Ronnie lived there up until 6 months ago. I haven't been there in so long! What if they don't dress like I do?!"

Veronica started laughing and kissed her little girl's forehead. "They dress just like you do. Don't you watch tv? Just don't go dressing like your grandpa. Or Cliff. Put anything else on and you're fine!"

-/-

Ronnie was lying on her back on her bedroom floor with her phone on speaker while Lilly was sitting at her desk trying to finish her homework before she had to leave for her Christmas trip to Neptune with her mom.

"Do you know what we should do before you leave for Neptune? Go to the premiere of the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie! My uncle is going and he's taking Katy with him. We could go too! He's always inviting me to do stuff."

"I don't know Ronnie… you know my mom doesn't like me out in the city, especially at night…"

"Oh come on Lilly! It's fine. I told you my uncle is coming. It's no problem. I'll have my dad call your mom and she'll say yes. You'll see."

"Kay, I guess…" Lilly said weakly. "I guess it would be fun."

"It will! I know Katy is only 11, but she's ok. I have to go now. My dad's home. I have to ask him to talk to my uncle so we can go, ok? Bye!"

Lilly's farewell was cut off when Veronica hung up her phone.

Ronnie swayed from her bedroom to her living room examining what her dad was doing. He was reading some magazine and he seemed like he was in a good mood. _I've got this. It will be like a walk in the park_. Veronica thought. "Daddy…" Ronnie said trying to imitate her best mellow voice since she knew how her father could never resist that.

"Oh no… I know that voice. Did you lose your cellphone again? Ronnie, we've been over this. You need to be more careful with your things. I can't buy you a new cellphone or backpack or whatever you keep losing every two weeks."

"First of all, dad" She switched her tone to exasperated, "I know you can afford to replace a few cellphones here and there. And second I only wanted to ask you if Lilly and I could go to the new Guardians of the Galaxy premiere with Katy and uncle…"

"No. Nope. Sorry, you can't."

"What? Dad! Why? Katy's going and she's 11 for heaven's sake! And it's not like she's going alone or we'd be going by ourselves, her dad is coming too!" Veronica was pleading now.

"Well, you're not Katy and you're not going. And don't go asking your mom about it either. You got away with it once, you won't get away with it again, Veronica."

The teenager slammed her room door as she was dialing her best friend's number, leaving her father sighing in the living room.

Lilly looked up from her history paper at her phone and saw Veronica was calling her again. _Did she do it already? Her dad's a softy. My mom on the other hand, won't be that easy to convince, that's for sure. Good luck with this Veronica, Ronnie._

"Lilly, you will not believe this. My dad doesn't want to let me go! I'm so mad… He's always so cool all the time. What the hell is his problem?"

"I… I don't know Ronnie…" Lilly replied a little uncomfortable. She usually never fought with her parents and they rarely said no to her.

"I know what we should do! I'll tell dad I'm sleeping at your house and you'll tell your mom you're sleeping at my house and that way we can go! I'm brilliant!"

Lilly started laughing hysterically. "Yeah right… You don't know my mother at all! She'd smell the little lie a mile away. Sorry Ronnie, I really wanna go too but I don't think we can this time…"

"I can't believe we're not going! Lil, we skipped class the other day and no one found out about it yet. I know what I'm doing."

"But that was different Ronnie. We skipped last period to come home and watch a movie. Not going into the city at night!" Lilly said exasperated.

Veronica humphed of the phone. "Fine! I can't believe you're talking me out of this… But we'll have to do something before you leave, ok?"

"Yes, Rons, we'll do something. Bye"


	3. Chapter 3

two things: first i want to thank elschaaf for all her help up until now. it was amazing! and that brings me to the second thing: i'm going to be needing another beta. if there is anyone interested around please let me know. i'll be eternally grateful.

so this one is coming out unbetaed just because it has been sitting on my computer since the weekend and i want it out. (and i want to post the ext chapter soon and i'd like to have it betaed before i do that)

-/-

The last day of school came and Lilly and Ronnie were going to the movies and having a last sleepover before the holidays. Lilly was going to Neptune with her mother Saturday afternoon and Veronica would stay with her dad until Christmas and then go with her mother to her grandparent's house in Schenectady.

Veronica picked the girls up after the movie was over. They were very cheery talking nonstop. They barely responded to Veronica's "Hello girls, how was the movie?" They chose to both sit in the back seat of the car and their voices had gone down so Veronica could only pick up bits and pieces of their conversation. There was talking of a boy but she could not understand who liked who and who was ignoring who.

It was way too early for her little girl to start dating. And she knew her dad would not be happy about this either. _She's growing up way too fast._ And with this thought, her best friend Lilly came to her mind. How little life she had left ahead of her at 13. Veronica felt a chill run through her body at this thought. Her Lilly, this Lilly was different and she would never leave her. She would not survive that.

A shared laugh coming from the back seat shook her up from her thoughts and she smiled to herself. This Lilly and this Veronica had their whole life ahead of them. And as much as she loved the family and friends she still had in Neptune, she swore she would never go back and put her little girl through anything close to what she had gone through growing up in Neptune.

"Girls, it's already a little late. Please don't stay up all night, ok? We have a very long day tomorrow, Lilly." Veronica said as they were entering their house.

"Kay mom." Lilly said as she and Ronnie were running towards her bedroom. The bedroom door was closed with a bang and Veronica could hear the laughs and shrieks coming from her daughter's bedroom.

-/-

"I can't believe Dylan texted you that, Ronnie! You're going to get caught by someone if you're not careful, you know?"

"Relax Lil, we're not doing t_hat_ and we won't for a long time, for sure."

"Yeah, but hiding in the girl's bathroom to make out is going to get you both in trouble…" Lilly said worriedly.

"You're just jealous because Nick hasn't said anything to you since the winter dance. Anyway, forget that. It's Christmas and I have a present for you!" Veronica said gleefully.

"No, I'm not. I don't like Nick. And I also _had_ a Christmas present for you but I don't think you'll get it now."

"What? Lil… I was joking. But you do like Nick and he likes you too, so that you know. I can tell these things, you know?" Veronica said as she was going through her overnight bag. "Here. Merry Christmas." She said as she handed Lilly a little package.

Lilly slowly unwrapped the little present Veronica had handed her. It was a little gold chain with a wing-shaped pendant. "I love it Ronnie! It's so pretty…" Lilly said while admiring her new necklace in her hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much. Here, open your present now."

"I hope this is what I think it is" Ronnie said while unwrapping her present. "Thanks Lil, I love it. One more for my collection. Awesome! You know my mom hates these, right? I keep them at my dad's. Actually I started collecting them because of him. One time we we're looking for a souvenir in one of our trips, and you know how I think snow globes are corny, right? So he told me he knew someone that used to collect shot glasses, like as a joke, but I loved the idea. He only allowed me to buy it after I promised on my life that I would not use them like, ever!"

"I know that, Rons. So the first thing I did on my trip to Philly with my mom was to look for one to give to you for Christmas. My mom couldn't believe when I told her that story. I don't think I've ever seen her roll her eyes that much."

After they exchange Christmas presents, the girls kept talking and laughing until way past 2 in the morning. Veronica could hear them but never went to tell them to go to bed. Christmas vacation was coming and it would be Lilly's problem to deal with the lack of sleep plus the jetlag tomorrow. Lilly would have plenty of time to recover and she knew that these moments were priceless and how soon they could come to an end.

-/-

Keith was waiting for them at the airport and Lilly ran to him almost making him trip when she hugged him.

"You're so big honey! I barely recognized you. I blame your mother, you know? What a crazy idea to have my granddaughter living across the country…"

"Aren't you about to retire grandpa? You could come live in New York and be close to us."

Keith chuckled. "Yeah… I don't see that happening Lilly. I like the sun too much. Hi honey, how are you?" He said as soon as Lilly freed him and he could hug his daughter. "How was the flight?"

"I'm good, dad. The flight was good. Except for the part where you're granddaughter started a fit."

"I didn't start a fit, mom." Lilly replied annoyed.

"Ok, a tantrum. The flight attendants didn't have blankets and she wanted to sleep. I told you not to go to bed late yesterday, didn't I?"

"Well… yeah but I wasn't going to see Ronnie for two weeks, mom!"

Keith looked at Veronica confused. He knew she used to be called that by her friends a long time ago.

"Her new best friend. I've been replaced, dad. There's a new Veronica in town."

"You'll have to tell me all about it at dinner. Where do you wanna go?" Keith asked putting an arm over Lilly's shoulders.

"AMY'S!" She screamed.

"Maybe we'll go after dinner. Let's go to Mama Leone's, ok dad?"

"What are you talking about maybe, mom? We're going and that's that."

"You heard the kid." Keith said smiling at Veronica.

-/-

A few days had passed and the event Veronica was eagerly waiting for was happening that day. This meeting took place every time she was in Neptune. She, Mac and Wallace would reunite their families in a big cookout. They would always spend the time catching up and lamenting the time they had to spend apart.

Mac was coming with her husband, Steve. They met when Mac was building her start-up company after college and had been together ever since. They had a 9 year old named Jack and a 4 year old named Emma.

Wallace had met his wife at Hearst sophomore year. Janice was a stay at home mom while Wallace worked at an engineering company. They had two boys, Ryan was 11 and Billy was 8, and a 5 year old girl named Alice.

The barbecues were always a messy affair that lasted the whole day, but they all loved to be able to see each other again and be together for that short amount of time. This year Veronica was hosting at her dad's house.

"We brought adult juice!" Mac said as she was coming inside with two bottles of wine in each hand while Steve was caring a case of beer.

"Mac!" Veronica yelled running to her friend. "I've missed you" she said as she was hugging her friend.

"Hey Bond. Long time no see right? Kids, come say hi to aunt Veronica. Where's Lilly"

"She's upstairs talking to her best friend. I tell you Mac, I cannot hear another word about how Veronica this and Veronica that."

"Err… have you been taking your meds lately?" Mac looked at Veronica very confused.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Lilly has a new best friend and her name is Veronica. How twilight zone is that?"

Mac looked puzzled. "Very twilight zone, absolutely." _How many 13 year old Veronicas are there in New York City? _

Wallace arrived with his family and they could finally star cooking. They had a very cheerful day and by 9 o'clock all the kids were asleep by the tv while some cartoon was on. Lilly was back in her room probably talking to Ronnie.

Veronica, Mac, Wallace and their spouses were all still outside warmed up by blankets and with a fire pit going. After catching up the time came for reminiscing and meddling a little bit on each other's lives, especially Veronica's.

"So Veronica, when are you going to introduce us to your new boyfriend?" Wallace said grinning.

"You know I don't have a boyfriend, Wallace."

"Do I? You never tell us anything anymore. And also, we think it's time you got one."

"Oh you do now, do you? And who's this we you talk about?"

"Him, me… all of us, Bond. Your Dad too, we talk."

"You're talking about my love life with my dad?" Veronica said exasperatedly.

"Well, not exactly since you don't have one… But we're just worried. Don't you feel lonely sometimes? It's been so long since your divorce and you haven't been with anyone ever since…" Mac said in a concerned tone.

"Do you know what it is like to have a 13 year old at home? Well, two actually because they come in pairs. I'm not lonely you guys. I'm fine. And I date now and then. I just haven't found the one guy that is worth the hassle. Don't worry about me."

The subject was quickly changed to happier topics. Mac and Wallace were planning a trip to New York for spring break to get everyone together again so they started outlining what their trip would be like.

-/-

Christmas quickly passed and soon it was time for Veronica and Lilly to go back to New York. Keith was driving them to the airport and everyone was feeling a little gloomy.

"Come visit us soon, ok grandpa?"

"Sure honey. I'll be there for your birthday, ok? It's coming up really soon."

"Oh yeah, and you can meet my friend Veronica. You're so gonna love her!"

"I bet I will honey. Now be good to your mom and don't go getting into any trouble, ok? One last minute ticket to New York to bail you out from the wrath of your mom is a little too expensive for your grandpa."

Lilly laughed out loud. "I don't get into trouble, grandpa, you know that."

"Well, with new company you never know." Keith winked at Lilly and hugged her.

After an uneventful flight, they were home and ready for bed. The trip had been a lot of fun but also tiring for both girls. Lilly was a little annoyed that they came in late and she couldn't call Ronnie, but she was so tired that as soon as her head hit the pillow she was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

please say hi to my new beta for this story: Lunky. also, thank you or else this story might have had been canned for a while.

finally the part everyone's been waiting for is here: who are the girls' dads. some of you got it, some of you didn't. I hope you still the story and keep reading =)

thanks for all the follows and reviews. i know i don't have a lot but they mean the world to me (i think I've replied to everyone, if I've not, I am sorry and be sure I read it!)

-/-

Christmas break was over and Veronica couldn't be more grateful. Lilly was sulking through the house since they got back from Neptune because she couldn't see her best friend. Ronnie was coming back that Saturday right before class started again and of course the girls had made plans. Annie was picking Lilly up from her house on their drive down from Schenectady and they would have another sleepover to catch up after that their apart.

"I can't believe you're up to this Annie. These two get me tired just thinking about them and you're willing to take both of them right after the drive back." Veronica said holding her cup of coffee. The moms where sitting at the kitchen table waiting for the girls while Lilly packed her overnight bag.

"It's fine. It gets more tiring if all I hear is Ronnie mopping around because she hasn't seen her best friend in so long."

"I really hope it's no bother, Annie. If Lilly ever misbehaves or anything, please tell me ok?"

"Oh no, she's actually keeping Veronica out of trouble. Well, not exactly out of trouble but she's a lot calmer since she met Lilly."

Veronica took another sip of her cup and imagined how upside down this new world was. A new world where Lilly was keeping Veronica quieter. She smiled a little. "As long as Lilly is not getting in any trouble…"

"No, not on my watch. And Ronnie's dad has been very strict too. We didn't always agree on discipline, he had kind of a wild childhood, but he seems to be getting more and more firm with her as she gets older."

"Yeah, that's good. Actually Ian and I have always agreed when it came to disciplining Lilly. And that didn't change with the divorce, so it worked out great. Lilly knows her boundaries and I'm happy for that, living in New York and all, I think the girls could get into a lot of trouble. I've seen it firsthand too…"

The girls came from the hallway laughing. "We're ready," they shouted in unison.

"Okay, let's go then." Annie said getting up from her chair and moving towards the door. "Thanks for the cup of coffee, Veronica. You're picking Lilly up tomorrow at 2, right?"

"Yeah, no problem. See you tomorrow. Bye, be good, Lilly."

"Bye mom, see you tomorrow," Lilly replied without looking back. Annie and Veronica shared a look, smiling at the girls leaving the apartment arm in arm.

-/-

Veronica was home, sitting on her couch editing some photos for the newspaper when Lilly arrived home from school. She dropped her backpack by the front door and sunk into the couch next to her mother.

"Mom, I know what I wanna do for my birthday party. We have to start planning."

"What? Lilly, your birthday isn't for another month! And you always do the same thing…"

"But it's my 14th birthday. It has to be different. Ronnie and I were thinking…"

_Ronnie of course… _Veronica rolled her eyes a little bit while Lilly told her the plan.

"… that we could go to the movies. Both of us, Amy, Rosie, maybe Gracie and Alana too. And Dylan, Nick and Ryan. And then everyone could come over for pizza after and the girls could stay for a sleepover. What do you think mom?"

Veronica took a little time to respond. "Yeah, I guess that could work. But we have to check with your dad to see what he wants to do, ok? Do you want to invite him and maybe Annie too to come over? That way I wouldn't be alone and spying on you guys," Veronica teased.

"Yeah, good idea! And don't even joke about spying on me. I'll go live with dad."

"No you won't because I won't let you. Now go do your homework quick so you can come back and cook your favorite mom a nice dinner."

Lilly got up laughing and picked up her backpack from the floor heading to her room.

-/-

"My mom said yes! Do you think Nick will want to come? Maybe I should invite another boy…"

"Don't be silly. Or course he's coming. He's been sitting next to you for lunch every day since Christmas break. I'm telling you, he likes you."

"I don't know, maybe he's just being nice… I don't want to talk about it now. Is it ok if I invite Dylan? He's Nick's best friend but I know you're not together anymore…"

"Of course it's ok. And I'm sure we'll be together again by then, don't worry. Gosh I wish I was turning 14…"

Lilly laughed. "You are. Only it's a few months from now. And I'm sure it won't be so different from 13. I have to go do my homework. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, I have to go do mine too. I'm going out to dinner with my dad after. I'll skype you when I'm back."

-/-

After a lot of planning in the weeks that led to Lilly's party, the day had finally arrived. Veronica would drop Lilly off at the movies for the 2 o'clock showing and everyone was meeting there. After she had all the girls' overnight bags she would drive back with Annie to set up the little party at home and come back with her to get everyone once the movie was over.

"Oh my god! How can a few girls do so much noise inside a car?" Veronica whined to Annie after they arrived home.

"My car was a lot less noisy, I'm sure. Advantages of driving the boys I guess…"

"I'll bring them the popcorn refill. I bet they won't watch a second of that movie. Why did I say yes to this? Do you realize we're going to be trapped in the kitchen until 8?"

"Oh, come on, Veronica. You only turn 14 once, right? Look, I'm sure Ronnie will want to have a way bigger party and her daddy is going to say yes to everything she asks. This," Annie says pointing towards the living room, "is nothing. You should have seen her 8th birthday party! He hired a freaking circus to perform…"

"Really? That's insane! I'm glad Lilly never wanted anything over the top. We went to Disneyland for her 5th birthday and that was the biggest party so far."

The doorbell rang and Veronica handed the two popcorn bowls to Annie. "That must be Ian; can you bring these to the kids and tell Lilly her dad's here, please?"

"Sure," Annie said, jumping from the stool.

Veronica went to the door and welcomed Ian, Lilly's dad. He was tall, with darkish blond hair and blue eyes. He had a five o'clock shadow that he only let grow on the weekends, and some expression lines around his eyes. Veronica led him to the kitchen where they waited for the birthday girl

"Hi daddy! Thanks for coming. Bye!"

"Wait. Lilly at least give me a hug, please." Lilly turned back and hugged her father for a nanosecond before racing back to her friends in the living room.

After Lilly left, Ian set the birthday cake on the counter and Veronica handed him a beer.

"I remember the time she couldn't be pulled off of my neck for nothing in this world."

"Yeah, I remember the time she didn't roll her eyes every time she said 'mom'. Times they are-a –changin', pal."

"Don't remind me. Hi Annie, how are you?", Ian asked when she came back from the popcorn run.

"Good, and you?"

They talked for a while and soon it was 7:30 and time for cake. By 8 o'clock the boys would be leaving and the girls would move the party to Lilly's room for the sleepover part of the party.

After everyone left, Veronica was alone with Annie in the living room relaxing and talking. They'd become friends from so many get togethers because of the girls.

"I have to go, Veronica. I have to go home and pack, again."

"Where's the conference this time?"

"Arizona… I'm so tired of all this travel. And every time I have to go it's packing for me and Ronnie. I know she loves to stay at her dad's but this is exhausting. And I'm waiting for the day he can't have her because he can't change his flights…"

"She can stay with us anytime, Annie. It's no problem. But it's great that her dad moved here to be with here, you know? So many guys just don't give a fuck about their kids. It's sad."

"He's done everything for her since we found out I was pregnant. He's amazing, really. I couldn't be any luckier or more thankful to him. I'm sure I wouldn't even have a career if it wasn't for him and his help with everything since day one."

"Sorry if this seems rude in anyway but you seem to like him a lot but you don't talk about him that much… Why did you divorce?"

"We never divorced, actually because we were never married. We met his last year at college and when I was a TA. We were on and off for his last semester and that summer. We were actually over when I found out I was pregnant and we tried for a while but it didn't work. We're a lot better as friends."

"He does sound great. Lilly told me he's from Neptune, I wonder if I know him…"

"Actually, I was gonna ask you if it would be ok for him to pick up Ronnie tomorrow morning. And if I could also stop by to drop off her bag. Your house is on the way to the airport and it would save me a lot of time."

"Sure, no problem. That way I can finally meet him. Maybe someday we could all go to dinner or something."

-/-

The next morning the girls were still asleep when Annie called Veronica to let her know that she was coming by to drop Ronnie's bag and say goodbye to her.

There was a knock at the door and Veronica went to open it in her Pink Panther robe that Lilly had gotten her for Christmas a few years ago.

"Look who I found downstairs! Veronica this is…"

"Logan?" Veronica looked baffled.

Annie did a double take on both of them. "You two know each other?"


	5. Chapter 5

it's Veronica Mars 10 year anniversary! Happy Birthday Veronica!

so i had to post this today. also have to thank a million to my beta, Lunky, it's because of her that you don't get a mess of typos and phrases that don't make sense because i think of them in my mother tongue first... [she says it's the best so far, i hope it is and you think so too.]

please review *.*

-/-

Veronica and Logan kept looking at each other without saying a word. She had her mouth slightly open and Logan had deer-in-a-headlight eyes. They were looking at each other in disbelief. Annie was looking at the two of them, getting more and more confused and they still hadn't moved since Veronica opened the front door of her third-floor Manhattan apartment.

Since Veronica didn't know what Logan had told Annie about her, she chose to be vague, very vague. "Yeah… from Neptune. We know each other from there. Hum… come on in, sorry."

"You guys look like you've seen ghosts! I can't stay. I already dropped Ronnie's bag with Logan, I just thought I'd come in and introduce you two but it seems like I don't have to."

Annie quickly went to the room of sleeping girls to say goodbye to Ronnie. She left while Veronica was still holding her door and Logan was standing still outside of the apartment.

"Sorry, come in. I'm sure Ronnie will take a while."

"No need to, really, I can wait out here," Logan said.

"Nonsense. Come in, I got fresh brewed coffee."

Veronica was leaning against her cupboards and Logan was sitting across from her on a kitchen stool, both with cups of coffee in their hands that they seemed to find as interesting as their feet. Veronica looked up for a moment to take in this new Logan and check everything that had changed in him. He seemed bigger, probably not taller but for sure better built His face was leaner, without the baby fat she remembered, and there were some new laugh lines around his eyes. She was fascinated with his broad shoulders and narrow torso and she blushed a little thinking about it.

Logan was completely oblivious to Veronica's stare and was still focused on his cup of coffee when shyly he said, "So, you have a daughter named Lilly…".

"And you have a daughter named Veronica?", Veronica asked.

"Her mom's favorite aunt was named Veronica. I didn't oppose but the nick name was all me." Logan smiled mischievously.

"That's a… relief? This has been weird for the past few months with Lilly always talking about 'Ronnie this and Veronica that'… How come we haven't met before?"

"I don't know… Just circumstance, I guess. I've met Ian, he seems cool."

"Yeah… I guess. Circumstance."

Lilly and Ronnie came to the kitchen but didn't catch the awkwardness in the air between their parents.

"I can't believe you came so early, Dad! I told you not to pick me up before 10," Ronnie said, irritated.

"I know, but Uncle Dick is in town with Katy and the boys so we're all getting together to spend the day."

"Ugh. Those two boys are pests! Can't I stay here instead, please?"

"No, sorry. You already spend so much time here I'm sure the mailman already thinks there are two Veronicas living here. Let's go, kiddo," Logan said, jumping from the stool and grabbing his daughter's bag. "Happy Birthday Lilly, and thanks for the cup of coffee Veronica. See you guys around."

Veronica barely spoke the rest of the morning. Parents came to pick the other girls up and soon she was alone with Lilly.

"Honey, I'm going for a walk and to get some take-out for lunch, okay?", Veronica said as she was shutting the front door.

She started wandering around the block thinking about the encounter she just had. She hadn't seen Logan or heard anything about him since she left Hearst. Not even from Mac, who she knew was still friends with him. Suddenly growing furious, she dialed Mac's number.

"Bond, I hope this is an emergency. Do you know what time it is in this coast? And how long it has been since I have slept after 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning?", Mac said with a sleepy voice.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, Mac."

"What? Veronica? What didn't I tell you?"

"That Logan has a daughter and she is named Veronica! How could you?" Veronica was getting madder and madder.

_So, I guess there aren't a lot of 13-year-old Veronicas running around New York…_ "I didn't tell you for the same reason I didn't tell Logan about you. Friend courtesy, V. I didn't discuss Logan with you or the other way around, by the way, out of respect for both of you."

"But he moved here! To my city. And I told you Lilly had a best friend named Veronica. And… And… And…"

"Look, V, I get that you're upset but you have to understand. First, he's my friend too. Second, you made it clear from the time you left Hearst that you didn't want to know about Logan or share your life with him. You can't have it both ways, Bond. You can't ban the L-word and then be angry that you aren't up on his life."

Veronica was becoming a little calmer and seeing Mac's point of view. But that didn't seem to de-shatter her world after what had happen that morning.

"I don't know what to do Mac…"

"What do you mean you don't know what to do? You talk to him, or you don't. But since your daughters are best friends I don't see how that's happening. New York is a big city but I still have no idea how you've gone so long without bumping into each other."

"I… I don't know Mac. I know it's been so long… I left without saying goodbye… and it took me a long time to get over him. This is so confusing…"

"Veronica, you're a 37-year-old woman. Pull yourself together. He's an old teenage boyfriend, so what?"

"Yeah… yeah, you're right. I'm sorry Mac. I didn't mean to be so rude."

"It's fine. Just don't go waking me up again at wee hours on a Sunday again, ok? I'll revoke your best-friend-slash-godmother's powers. Bye."

-/-

Veronica arrived home emptied-handed and still with a confused look on her face. When Lilly saw that her mother hadn't brought back any lunch and was looking a little crazy she laughed.

"I think I need to talk to grandpa and have you committed or something. Where's lunch?"

"Hum? Oh… Sorry… I… I didn't know what you wanted so I thought we should order in."

"Mom, are you ok? You look… weird."

"Everything's fine. Go get the menus from the kitchen drawer so we can choose what to order, please."

"Okay…" Lilly said, suspicious as she went in search for some menus.

-/-

Logan went to meet Dick and his kids for brunch and then they went to the Central Park Zoo. Dick had his daughter Katy with him plus his 6-year-old twin boys, Kyle and Andy. Ronnie and Katy were chatting about some boy band or hot tween actor, while the boys spent the day screaming and running around.

Logan was absentminded thinking about Veronica and their meeting earlier. She looked great, he thought. Still on the short side but with some curves that she didn't have when she was a teenager. Her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head, and the beginnings of some strains graced her face. The Pink Panther robe made him smile on inside. He couldn't shake her from his mind all day, so anytime Dick tried to talk to him he couldn't get more than short a 'yes' and 'uh-uhm' from Logan.

"What's wrong with you dude? Are you popping pills or something? Wake up!", Dick jokingly yelled to Logan over the noise the boys were making while playing a video game.

"What? No. Uhm? What did you ask me?"

"Seriously dude, what the hell is wrong with you? I haven't seen you distracted like this since…"

Logan looked down at his feet and started messing with his hair with his right hand.

"Oh hell no! Veronica Mars?!", Dick cried. "What… when… how?" He was at loss for words.

"She… You remember hearing about Lilly, Ronnie's friend? She's her mother. I… I didn't know. I saw her for the first time this morning. I thought I'd never see her again, you know?"

"For fuck's sake. Not this again, Logan. She's bad news. You know it. I know it. I thought you'd never pull yourself together after last time. It's been years, you can't still…"

"It's… it's complicated, Dick. It's not just what we had. It's our past, our history, Lilly and Duncan… and…" Logan almost blurted out Beaver's name too but he stopped himself in time.

"It's been, what, 17, 18 years? They've been good, haven't they? You have your great kid, you have your pick of the ladies. Don't go down that path again."

"No. No, no, Dick. I'm not. It's just a lot. I thought I'd never see her again, you know?" Logan manages to sound sad and hopeful at the same time and Dick can't help the shrug and sigh that comes from inside of him.

"Are you going to see her again?", Dick asks resigned.

"I guess, yeah. She's my daughter's best friend's mother. I don't see how I can avoid her."

"With a restraining order," Dick suggests.

-/-

Annie dialed Logan's number to set up Ronnie's pick up the day after she gets back from her conference. She also wanted to find out the backstory between Veronica and Logan. From their reaction at the door she knew that they didn't just 'know each other from Neptune'.

"Hey Annie, how's Arizona?"

"Dry and hot. I hate it. Tell me it is cold in New York."

Logan chuckled. He knew how Annie hated hot weather. He actually never knew how she managed to stay in California for so many years. She always complained about the weather.

"Yeah, it's cold. It's March. I think we'll have some rain next week. Maybe even snow, they're saying."

"Music to my ears!", Annie replied. "So, can you drop Ronnie off at school on Monday? I'll pick her up. You can leave her bag there too or drop it off at our place later."

"Yeah, sure. Anything else? Dick's in town and we have plans. I'm actually running a little late…"

"I have a question for you. Dick can wait. How do you know Veronica?"

"Neptune. She told you that," Logan responded stiffly.

"Logan, I know you. You don't just know her from Neptune. What's the story there? You were together, weren't you?", Annie asked in a curious voice.

"Annie… I… It's complicated…" Logan was fidgeting with a pen he had in his hand.

"Ah! I knew it. Spill, Echolls. I wanna know."

"I… Ok. Do you remember I told you about Lilly, my girlfriend that was murdered?" Logan paused for a while. Even after all these years this was still a sore subject to him. Annie knew who killed Lilly and she knew bits of his childhood but she also knew that he didn't like to speak about that time.

"Well," Logan went on, "Veronica was Lilly's best friend… she investigated her murder and she was the one who figured it out."

"Get out! Are you serious? How? That's so bad ass."

"Uhm, her father was the sheriff at the time. But then he was run out of office. That's complicated. Anyway, he became a private investigator and she worked for him. They were the only people that followed all the leads and found out the truth." Logan thought he was safe. That Annie would be satisfied by this explanation.

"Wow. I.. I didn't know." Annie was in awe. But she knew that wasn't the whole story. "Logan, I'm so sorry for everything, you know…" she started.

"But…? Say it Annie." He knew that he wasn't off the hook.

"But I know that's not all. The way you looked at each other... I've never seen anything like that. I've never seen you like that."

"Alright, alright. We were together. And then we weren't. And then we were and weren't. And once again we were until we weren't anymore. The fourth time was the charm for us. It was hard and complicated. We weren't on good terms when she left after our freshman year at Hearst. I hadn't seen her or heard from her ever since."

"So you named our daughter after an old high school crush?" Annie was joking but he felt the need to still reply.

"You insisted on naming her Veronica after your favorite aunt, remember? I wanted her name to be Lynn, but you'd only let it be her middle name. You and I were back to trying to work it out between us when Ronnie was born, and so I didn't have the heart to tell that your favorite name that was the only name you found acceptable was also the name of my ex-girlfriend. Veronica was still a open wound for me, our relationship wasn't something I was comfortable talking about with ...anyone, really. I didn't think I'd ever see Veronica again. But, now that you know, the truth is that's why I've always called our daughter Ronnie."

"Anyway, she's great, you know? I really like her. And if maybe you wanted our little girl to be kind of like her, I don't mind that."

"You're not normal Annie, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Just because I like her? You're the one who's crazy. You shouldn't have let her go. I kinda see it now. I think you're perfect for each other, actually."

"What the hell, Annie?! Are you serious? We were teenagers, there's nothing there anymore. Maybe some nostalgia… Just hang up, ok? Talk to you later." Logan couldn't even convince himself while the words were coming out of his mouth. Annie didn't buy it at all but chose to let it go.

"Okay, okay… talk to you later."


	6. Chapter 6

a quick thank you to my beta Lunky and to all the readers and reviewers out there. if i didn't reply to your comment i'm sorry! but i read it and i loved it (and feel free to sham me on your next one ;) )

enjoy

-/-

It seemed like since Lilly's birthday party, all Veronica did was run into Logan. Annie had been AWOL for most of the girls' pick-ups and drop-offs since. The meetings weren't any less awkward than the first at her door that day. A little less than "hi, how are you?", "good and you?" and "byes" were exchanged between Veronica and Logan.

But spring break was coming and she was looking forward to it. Mac, Wallace and their families were coming for a few days and they had already planned for some fun activities with all the kids. She was, however, surprised that Lilly hadn't asked her if Ronnie could join them. But she knew that it was coming soon. And she knew that she had no reason to say no to her daughter so she feared the possible meeting with Logan that took more than the five minutes they had had so far.

Veronica was on her way to pick Lilly up from her weekend at her dad's. She was distracted when Lilly hopped in the car.

"Hi Mom. Guess what I did this weekend!"

"Hey Lilly. What did you do?"

"The Museum of Natural History. It's so amazing, Mom." Lilly loved nature and science. Veronica used to take her at least twice a year to the museum and she would be mesmerized at the exhibitions. "We were there ALL DAY Saturday, Mommy. They have this exhibit about this tortoise from the Galapagos that was the last one living. His name was George. He was so big and…"

Again, Veronica spaced out while Lilly was recounting her weekend adventures. She wasn't thinking about _present_ Logan anymore, but _past _Logan; high school and her first year at college; Lilly _the first_ and Duncan. Times when she was her happiest self ever and her saddest self. She did miss Logan and what could have been. A wave of nostalgia brought her back to the present and to the dreadful thought that she might have to explain to him why she left Hearst without saying goodbye.

"Can she, Mom?" Lilly asked.

"Uhm, sorry, what honey?" Veronica said trying to remember what Lilly was saying.

"Can Ronnie come with us to Coney Island on spring break? Her mom's away but maybe her dad can come too since you and Uncle Wallace and Aunt Mac all know him, right?" The girls soon after Lilly's party found out that their parents went to high school together but they didn't know much besides that.

She didn't want to answer her daughter because she knew that no possible reasoning would be enough for Lilly without further explaining her relationship with Logan. "Yeah, Ronnie can come. But maybe her dad has things to do, Lilly."

"He doesn't. I already asked." Lilly was smirking.

Veronica sighed and focused on the road. She didn't want to think about it anymore until the day came.

-/-

Annie had invited her for a cup of coffee at their favorite coffee shop. Emily's was halfway between both their houses and they started meeting there a few times a month. The coffee shop was a little place with five or six tables, all decorated with dark wood and a tiny bar with a huge expresso machine that made everything seem even smaller in perspective. Outside there were two sets of tables and chairs, one on each side of the glass door. They sat outside on their usual table, each with a cup of coffee and a pastry.

"Sorry I haven't been around lately," Annie started, "the university is making me go to more and more conferences. I'm getting tired of living out of a suitcase, honestly. I don't know how Logan did it for so long. Still does."

Veronica coughed and put her cup in front of her mouth without drinking from it. She certainly didn't want to discuss Logan with Annie. But she wasn't going to be so lucky. Annie caught their embarrassment at Veronica's door and wanted to know everything that Logan wouldn't tell her.

Annie smiled at Veronica, "So you know Logan. Like, _know him_ _know him_. Are you volunteering the information or do I have to pry it out of you?"

"Oh, Annie… I… Didn't you talk to Logan? I'm sure he told you everything. There's nothing more to…"

"He told me something but I'm sure there's more to it. He said you figured out his girlfriend's murder?"

"My best friend Lilly's murder, yeah, I did."

"He had told me bits and pieces of the story before. I know it must be hard for both of you. I'm sorry." Some sadness showed in Annie's eyes. She had never met Lilly, but she had seen how heartbroken Logan and been when he had confided in her about some of his past.

"It's ok, Annie. It was a long time ago. I still miss her and I'm sure he does too but it's the past now." _If this is all Annie wants to talk about, I'm good,_ Veronica thought innocently.

"That's not actually what I want to know…"

_Oh no… here it comes._

"That I can read on the internet. Tell me about you and him being together. I can totally see it. You both speak fluent sarcasm. Either that or both your middle names are Irony."

"Don't make me do that, Annie, please. That's so weird…" Veronica pleaded.

"Why? Because we were together a million years ago? Do you know you sound just like him? Look Veronica, I will always love Logan because he's Ronnie's father, but honestly? I was never in love with him. We had fun together but he's a great friend and I want nothing more than for him to be happy. And he hasn't been in a long, long time. When I met him he was broken. Destroyed, even. I knew he had to have gone through some big thing, probably a humungous heartbreak."

Veronica looked down and started moving her spoon around her plate. She knew heartbroken Logan. She'd seen it. She'd been the cause for it one too many times. And she also knew how he was also capable of doing it to other people. To her.

"It's just girl talk, Veronica. It's no big deal." Annie smiled at her trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't do girl talk, you know that," Veronica sneered. "But ok, I'll tell you the story."

For the first time, Veronica was recounting not only her tortuous relationship with Logan but also a big part of her personal history. She felt Annie was a good friend and she was happy that they'd found each other, in spite of the circumstances.

After a long conversation, a few laughs and some badly hidden tears, Veronica and Annie readied themselves to leave the coffee shop.

"So, can you set up the sleepover for this weekend with Logan? The girls will be at his house and it would be very helpful to me not to have to act as a carrier pigeon anymore."

Veronica hesitantly replied yes and they said their goodbyes.

-/-

The weekend was almost here and the dreaded sleepover was approaching. Veronica knew she had to talk to Logan and set everything up. She got his house number from Lilly, and after talking to her namesake, she waited for him to come to the phone.

"Hey…"

"Good evening, Logan. How have you been?"

"A little formal, aren't we? I'm ok, Veronica, and you?"

"Good… yeah… good. So, you'll pick them up from school on Friday and then bring Lilly over Sunday afternoon, right?"

"Yes, pick up Friday, drop off Sunday," Logan replied mechanically.

"Look, I just wanted to make sure Lily will be ok. No drinks, no boys, no going out, you know the drill, right?"

"Yeah… no. I'll be here. No teenage debauchery going on under my supervision."

She laughs and stabs at him, "Coming from the onetime king of teenage debauchery, you can understand why I might be concerned." She senses the hurt in his sigh and immediately regrets saying it.

"So, I'll have Lilly over Sunday around 4, ok? Bye Veronica," He replies harshly.

"Ok, sure. Bye Logan."

After hanging up, Veronica went to sit on her couch. Lilly was on her laptop, sitting on the floor and with the TV on. Usually Veronica would ask her to surrender the remote since Lilly was doing something else and not paying attention to the TV but she was so distracted herself that the thought didn't even cross her mind.

She was feeling guilty about what she said to Logan on the phone. They both had their skeletons and she knew that they'd have a pretty neck-to-neck contest if they'd try to air them all out.

But most of all, she was feeling guilty about the way she had left him so many years ago. Especially after that exchange they had in the Hearst cafeteria.

She didn't leave right away, not until a few weeks before the semester at Stanford was about to start. A month or so after the incident, her transfer was approved and she broke up with Piz. He was in New York, doing his internship, and she was preparing to move. The breakup was cordial, short and amicable, as their relationship had always been.

Veronica and Logan saw each other a few times that summer, mostly due to Mac. They would go to the movies or out to eat in a group, but that look they shared was always there. All Veronica could think about at the time was that their story was bound to repeat itself with worse consequences every time. Worse heartbreak every time. So, totally against Mac's advice, she decided not to tell him about transferring to Stanford and left without saying goodbye.

After spending the last few weeks obsessing about Logan she came to the realization that she had missed him and missed out. She missed seeing him become the man he was now. Together, responsible, a good father and a great man in general. She wondered if he would have accomplished as much as he had if she had stayed in Neptune and continued the cycle of makeups and breakups. She wondered if she could become friends with this new Logan. She really wanted to.

"Ronnie, her dad and Uncle Dick plus the kids are all set for Coney Island," Lilly said without taking her eyes off of her laptop screen.

"Who? What? Everyone is coming?" Veronica was taken aback by Lilly's affirmation.

"Ronnie, her dad and her Uncle Dick plus his three kids are coming with us to Coney Island," Lilly repeated slowly. "You said it was ok to invite them and they said they'd love to come."

Veronica, speechless, nodded her head. Her first big meeting with Logan would have Mac and Wallace as a buffer and that was definitely a plus. Having Dick there, though, probably outbalanced every good aspect of everything else.

Groaning, she thought, _I can't wait._


	7. Chapter 7

sorry for the delay in updating. life's just been in the way a little ^^

i hope you like this chapter and please review =) for every review i get i'll write one more scene with logan and veronica. promise ;)

thank you Lunky for all you work betaing this.

-/-

The last day of school came and as it was previously agreed, Veronica took Lilly and Ronnie home after the day ended. They were having a sleepover and then they would go to the airport to meet Wallace, Mac and their families.

"Lilly, you girls can't stay up late tonight, ok? The plane lands at 9 a.m. so we have to get up early. One movie and then it's bed time. For real." Veronica knew there was no way the girls would go straight to bed after the movie but it didn't hurt to try. "Did you pick the movie yet?"

"Yes," Lilly replied without further explanation. She sensed her mother wouldn't agree with their choice.

"And? What is it going to be? Harry Potter?"

Lilly and Veronica snorted. "I thought we could watch American Pie II…" Lilly tried.

"I don't think that's very appropriate. Give it a couple of years. What happened to your love for Harry Potter?"

"But my dad let us watch the first one the other…" Ronnie looked at Lilly and saw her shaking her head no. She knew she had screwed up and went silent, her mouth still slightly opened.

"I don't feel comfortable with Lilly watching movies that are not age appropriate, Ronnie. And I don't think your mom will feel any different."

Ronnie looked down, embarrassed. She got herself, Lilly and her dad in trouble, probably. They watched another movie in silence and went to bed quickly after it was over.

"Goodbye fun stuff," Ronnie said dramatically. "So many years, so much practice getting my dad wrapped around my finger without him ever suspecting and now your mom will blow my thing. It was a good thing I had going, Lilly… It was a good thing."

"I'm sorry Ronnie. My mom is kind of strict when it comes to 'age appropriate'," Lilly air quoted. "I don't know what her deal is but that's just how she is. I should have warned you…"

"It's ok. I'll look at daddy like _that_ and we'll be right back where we were before. My dad is predictable that way. And there's nothing he won't do for me. Except not letting me go to that premiere, but I'll get something else for that."

"You are unbelievable. You should have my parents and see what not fun is," Lilly scoffed.

"Yeah, like the nerd in you didn't just love going to the museum with daddy or reading a book at the caffe with mommy. Nerd…" Ronnie was laughing.

Lilly smiled at Ronnie. "Ok, ok… you're right. We have different ideas of fun. Get to sleep. I want to go on every ride at Coney Island tomorrow. Night Ronnie."

"Night Lilly."

-/-

Veronica woke the girls up and served them breakfast. They all sat at the kitchen bar eating. Veronica had a cup of coffee and some French toast. Lilly only wanted cereal and Ronnie had some French toast too with orange juice. Soon they were ready to leave for the airport. Veronica was taking her car and the others were renting cars at the airport for the weekend.

They were waiting at baggage claim and Veronica couldn't wait to hug her friends. She then reminded herself that she still had to inform them they were having company.

Mac saw Veronica first and she wanted to run to hug Veronica but Emma was on her lap, sleeping. She turned to her husband Steve and slowly handed him their little girl. Wallace was right behind her, with Alice on top of the bags on the cart. His wife Janice was supervising the three boys who were racing through the airport.

"Bond! I missed you." Mac hugged Veronica. "You look good. Did you put on some make up? That's new." She winked at Veronica.

"Hey Q. You look good. This," she pointed at her face, "Just good genes. It's a new brand called Genes, Genes foundation and mascara. It's great, you should try it." Veronica laughed.

She looked at Wallace and hugged him. "Missed you too Papa Bear."

"Yeah? I thought you had forgotten about me. The older you get, the girlier you become. Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Don't act all jealous BFF. There's enough of me to love everyone. And I should say hi to your better halves or they will ditch you." With that, Veronica greeted Janice and Steve. The boys were still running around them, the younger girls were now both sitting at the top of the luggage and Lilly and Ronnie were whispering some super top secret teenage conversation.

They all went to the rent-a-car window to pick up the cars they had reserved. While they were waiting for the guy to bring them the keys and all the documents to sign, Veronica thought it would be a good idea to let them know about the extra company.

"So… We're having company today."

"We are?" Mac said curiously. "Is Ian coming too?"

"Uhm, no, not Ian. Someone from back home… uhm…" Veronica was avoiding eye contact with her friends. "Well, it's Logan and Dick. Surprise."

Mac smiled and said, "I knew that already. You're terrible at surprises, V."

"Oh, you did? How did you…?"

"We're friends, Logan and I, remember? We've had this conversation a few months ago."

"I'm just wondering why the both of you knew this and neither thought it would be a good idea to let me in on it," Wallace said slightly angry.

"Not my fault," Mac started, "Veronica is the host and she invited them."

Like a kid trying to explain herself to a parent after they did something wrong, Veronica said, "No. I didn't invite them. Do you think I'd ever invite Dick for anything?"

"Not Dick. No one invites Dick for anything," Mac said, "He's just like that 'buy one get one free' thing. Only you never want the free thing."

"And when are we having the pleasure of catching up with _them_?" Wallace asked, disdainfully.

"In five minutes… they're coming by to pick up Lilly and Ronnie. Logan has a big car so he can fit everyone in, the girls plus Dick and his kids and we don't…"

"Wait, Dick has kids? KidS, plural? Someone voluntarily chose to mix their DNA with Dick's? And more than once, no less?"

When Veronica was about to answer Wallace, her phone rang, Logan was outside waiting for the girls so while Mac and Wallace went to pick up the two rentals, Veronica went outside to meet Logan and see the girls to his car. She barely got to the car before the girls hopped in and Logan told her he'd call them on the way to the park to set up a meeting point. She didn't know if he was being polite and trying to spare her from having to talk to Dick so early or if he was trying to spare himself of Dick's jabs about them. Probably both.

As promised Logan was going to call Veronica but the car was so noisy that he couldn't use the speaker, and honestly, he didn't want to give Dick the chance to say anything wrong. He decided to make a stop at a rest stop and get out of the car to talk to Veronica. They decided that they'd split up for the day because the girls didn't want to go on the 'baby' rides, they'd said, so Logan offered to take them on every roller-coaster and scary ride there was. They'd meet up for dinner and decide if they were going to stay for the night or go back to the city then.

When Logan, Dick and all the kids arrived at the restaurant near the beach they had picked for dinner, Veronica and the others were already there. The little kids were coloring and soon Dick's twin boys joined Mac and Wallace's kids in the activity. Lilly, Ronnie and Katy sat at the free end of the table leaving only two seats available, one next to Veronica and the other one right in front of her. Watching her daughter going to the end of the table instead of the seat next to her she thought she'd occupy, Veronica tried to call her and ask her to sit next to her but Lilly pretended she couldn't hear her mother.

That led to Veronica sitting next to Dick and in front of Logan. Mac was sitting right next to Logan so she was chatting him up and trying to include Veronica in the menial conversation. They ordered their food and drinks and the table was pretty loud with kids' laughs, teenager squeals and adult conversation. Their food was coming by, first the kids were served, and then they started bringing out the adult's orders leaving Steve, Veronica and Dick waiting for their food. Since everyone was pretty much starving, every conversation got postponed when their food arrived at the table leaving Veronica in a very awkward position. She refused to look at Dick and was staring at Mac eating her food.

"So Ronnie Mars, have you already casted your damned spell on my boy Logan, here?"

Logan dropped is fork and looked at Dick menacingly while Veronica coughed.

"Don't tell me you've rekindled already?"

"Dick," Logan said, with threatening eyes shooting daggers at his friend.

Only, Dick was, well, Dick and everything flew by him. "Don't tell me you two have already done the deed. What is this, the fifth, sixth reunion?"

"Dick!" Now both Logan and Veronica shouted his name.

"What?" he said, totally oblivious of his surroundings.

Janice and Steve were a little lost about what was going on; Wallace was looking at his plate and playing with his food; Mac, Veronica and Logan were glaring at Dick, all on a different scale of an 'I-could-kill-you' look; Ronnie had a half-eaten pizza slice on her hand and her mouth wide open, a reaction she shared with Lilly, only she still had her mouth full of lasagna.

"So have you?" Dick finally broke the awkward silence.

Veronica got up and stepped outside. Mac was about to follow her but Logan stopped her and said he'd go instead. Mac could see the guilt in his eyes and for a second she felt sorry for him, even though he was not at fault here. Well, maybe he was since he thought bringing Dick would be a good idea. On a second thought, him getting yelled at by Veronica was very well deserved.

When Logan finally found Veronica, she was sitting alone at the beach looking at the ocean. He sat beside her and opened his mouth to start talking but words just weren't coming out.

At the restaurant, Lilly and Ronnie finally came out of the shock and Lilly immediately turned to Mac.

"Aunt Mac, what… is it true? How come my mom never told me?"

Mac didn't want to have this conversation with Lilly. Lying wasn't an option but she knew it was something her friend would want to explain to her daughter. "Lilly, well, yeah, your mom and Logan dated a long, long time ago in high school and our first year at Hearst but I think you'll need to talk to your mom."

"They were high school sweethearts?" Ronnie shrieked.

"Oh hell no! Those two were everything but sweet, she…"

"Dick, shut up." Mac said harshly. "You've said enough."

The girls looked at each other speechless and lowered their heads to their plates.

Outside, after a few minutes of a very uncomfortable silence, Logan finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry Veronica, I thought he'd be good, I…"

Veronica started laughing totally caching Logan by surprise.

"You think this is a laughing matter? Did you see out girls' faces inside? Have you thought about what you're going to say to Lilly? Because I'm everything but excited about having that conversation with Ronnie. Do you wanna do it for me instead?"

Between residual laughs and tiny breaths Veronica turned to Logan. "I'm sorry I was laughing. It has to be a laughing matter otherwise I think Dick's leaving this place in a body bag. Unrecognizable."

Logan chuckled. "I'd back you up on that, you know?"

"This has all been so Twilight Zone-y. I don't even know what to think about it, seriously. We live in the same city, our kids are best friends and we don't run into each other for months. Then you bring your best friend on my time with my friends and I end up having to explain to my kid how I dated her best friend's dad. This isn't happening. Don't even get me started on you having a daughter with my name."

"Veronica…"

"It's fine Logan. I just can't deal with all this right now. Let's go inside and finish dinner and just go, ok?"

"What about the girls, they were going to come with me, are we still doing that?"

"Yeah, sure. Lilly can go with you. I guess we'll have to talk later but it's no rush."

When they stepped inside all the eyes on the table were on them. The food was cold but once they sat, everyone over the age of 10 was eating in silence.

The kids ordered dessert and the adults coffee, and after Logan kicked Dick under the table to foot up the bill as a punishment, they all started gathering their things to leave.

Veronica turned to Lilly, "Sweetheart, your bag is in the trunk, let's go get it so you can go with Ronnie, ok?"

"Can… can I come with you?"

"Sure. Do you want Ronnie to come over instead?"

The two best friends looked at each other and blurted at the same time: "No."

Veronica and Logan shared a concerned look but did as the girls were asking.

It had been a big day so Veronica didn't find anything of Lilly's quietness in the car. They'd talk calmly in the morning.


	8. Chapter 8

so here's the new chapter. sorry it took so long to update but life's just been crazy. i promise the next chapter won't take so long, i'm having some time off from work so i'll have time to probably finish the whole story.

thanks to my great beta, Lunky ^^

and please comment and let me know what you think =)

-/-

Lilly didn't want to talk to her mother that night. She said she had a headache and went straight to her room. Veronica thought she was only a little bit in shock and that they'd talk in the morning before they'd meet up for brunch with Mac and Wallace.

"Lilly, honey," Veronica knocked on her daughter's bedroom door, "you have to get up. We set up brunch for 11, let's go."

"My head hurts, I'm not going." Lilly's muffled voice came out from the other side of the door.

"Sweetie, come on… Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday? We can talk."

"No. And I don't want to go to brunch, Mom."

Veronica grunted. She knew this was not like Lilly. She had never had major tantrums in her 14 years and she had never been this long without talking to Veronica. Because mumbling that she was going to bed and that she didn't want to go to brunch weren't exactly conversation. Still, she said that Lilly could stay home. She'd check on her later and would keep her cell phone on.

When Veronica arrived at the restaurant Wallace was already there with his family. She greeted them all and sat next to him.

"Are you ok, V? Where's Lilly?" Wallace asked, concerned.

"I'm ok. It's fine. Lilly had a headache. She stayed home." Veronica's eyes turned sad.

"Did you talk to her? How did she take it?"

"I didn't talk to her. _She _hasn't talked to me practically at all since yesterday. I don't know if she's just in shock or upset or what. I'm going to kill Dick."

"I'll be your alibi. I got your back, Veronica." Wallace winked at Veronica. "It's going to be ok. Kids are hard. Girls are even harder, but you'll fix it, V."

"Thanks Wallace," Veronica said with a shy smile.

The same conversation took place as soon as Mac arrived. She had talked to Logan on the phone that morning and told Veronica that Ronnie was doing exactly the same as Lilly and that she shouldn't worry about it.

They spent the day doing some touristy things around New York; the mandatory bus tour; the Brooklyn Bridge; Chinatown and Little Italy and they finished the day at Magnolia Bakery. She thought bringing Lilly her favorite cupcakes from her favorite store in New York would get her to talk. She chose caramel plus chocolate and vanilla swirl, Lilly's favorites. She could never pick between the two so Veronica always ended up buying both and eating half of each so her daughter could have both.

She arrived home certain that the cupcakes would do the trick. Leaving the box on top of the kitchen counter, she went to meet her daughter's bedroom door, _again_. Knocking like in the morning, Veronica called Lilly.

"Sweet pea, I got cupcakes from Magnolia. Caramel a_nd_ chocolate and vanilla swirl, both for you. Did you eat already? Let's order something. Lilly?"

Lilly came to the door and looked at her mom with a scorned look. "I'm not hungry, thank you."

"Lilly…"

"I want to go over to dad's. I called him but he wouldn't pick me up before I talked to you, so, can I go?"

Veronica was dumbstruck but suddenly she saw her inning with Lilly and she perked up. "Ok, you can go. On one condition. We're going to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you. That's the whole point in going to dad's." Lilly rolled her eyes

"There's no negotiation. You're either talking with me or you are not going, Lilly."

"Okay."

There was a moment of silence where neither wanted to start. Lilly didn't want to listen to her mother and Veronica didn't know what to tell her daughter.

"Okay. Do you have any questions, then? You're upset so you must have questions."

"Nope. No questions."

"So why are you upset?"

"Upset?! I'm pissed that…"

"Lilly, language." Veronica scolded her.

Rolling her eyes once again Lilly continued, "I'm upset that you are dating or were dating or whatever my best friend's dad and you didn't tell me." Lilly crossed her arms and stared at Veronica.

"First of all, I am not dating Logan. Second we dated in high school, a really _really_ long time ago. And third I didn't even know he was Ronnie's father until your birthday."

"College."

"Uhm?"

"Aunt Mac said you also dated in college. You're lying."

"Lilly, I'm not lying. Ok, we dated in college, first year. That was it. I hadn't seen him since until your birthday."

"That's another thing; you were lying this whole time. You said you knew each other from Neptune like you were nothing more than acquaintances and you dated? You were high school sweethearts?" Lilly was definitely pissed right now.

"We weren't high school sweethearts either, Lilly. That… that's a long story and I'll tell you that one day, ok?"

"Fine. So can I go now? Can I call dad to come pick me up?"

"Sure. Take the cupcakes, the box is in the kitchen." Veronica gave up.

-/-

"Hey Veronica, how are you?"

"Hey Annie. Hanging… and you?"

"Apart from having to put up with the moodiest teenager ever, nothing. You know what's up with Lilly and Ronnie?"

"No. I haven't talked to Lilly in a few days… She's at Ian's since the day after the Dickgate," Veronica said sadly.

"Oh, ok. I was calling to know how you were and to ask if Lilly had lost her phone or something. Ronnie told me she's been trying to call over and over and she's not answering."

"I really don't know, Annie, wish I did. You have Ian's home number, right? Call her there. Talk to Ian and make her come to the phone. I honestly have no idea what's up with her. Teenagers, eh?"

"They're the worst! Look, we should get together, talk… ok? Maybe tomorrow after work?"

"Sure. Same place, same time then," Veronica replied a little cheerful.

-/-

The phone rang at Ian's house after dinner and since Lilly was locked in her room he picked it up. For a while he spoke to Annie about the girls' situation and said he hadn't talked to Lilly about it either so he had no clue about what was going on between them. He had talked to Veronica previously so he went to get Lilly to come to the phone.

"Lilly, sweetheart, it's for you. Can I come in?"

Lilly was sitting in her big pillow next to the window with a book on her lap.

"Yeah, but if it's mom I don't want to talk." Lilly said without taking her eyes from the book she was reading.

"It's Ronnie. She says she's been trying to reach you on your cell…"

"I don't want to talk to her either," Lilly said dryly.

"Lil, come on, don't be rude. She's your friend and she's worried. And you need to talk, don't you think?" Ian's hand was hanging near Lilly's head, almost forcing the phone on her. She took it with an eye roll and he left the room closing the door.

"Hi." It's was the driest greeting that Ronnie had ever heard.

"Lilly! Finally! What's up with your phone? Why didn't you answer any of my calls and texts and emails?"

"My phone's fine. I just didn't want to talk."

"To me or in general?" Ronnie tried to make a joke unsuccessfully.

"In general. Look, I'm reading, we've talked, you know I'm not dead. Need anything else?"

"Wow, Lil, what's up with you? It's me Ronnie, your best friend. Why don't you want to talk? Is it because of the thing with my dad and your mom?"

"There's no _thing_ with your dad and my mom. And I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"How do you know there's nothing between them?"

"Because I do. And I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"Yeah, like you knew they were never a couple, right?" Ronnie chuckled.

"You think it's funny, do you, Ronnie?"

"Actually I do, yeah. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal?" Lilly was almost screaming. "The big deal is that they knew each other. The big deal is they might get together again. The big deal…" Lilly closed her eyes and sighed.

"Lilly. They're adults. They are both single, so what if they want to go back to some old thing? It would be awesome. Maybe they'd move in together and we'd be together always and…" Ronnie's voice was getting excited.

"No. They can't get together." Lilly cut off Ronnie's line of thought.

"Oh my god! Don't tell me you're still waiting for mommy and daddy to get back together." Ronnie said in disbelief. "It's been almost 10 years since your parents split up. Don't you think they'd be back together by now if that was ever going to happen?"

Ronnie heard a click followed by the endless sound of the disconnected line.

The rest of spring break was sad and lonely for Veronica. Wallace and Mac only stayed for a couple more days and Lilly stayed at her dad's the rest of the break. Veronica went to pick her up the Saturday before school started and it was now Monday and they'd barely exchanged any words. Not having Mac around, she turned to Annie. Because of her, she knew the girls hadn't talked during the break except for one phone conversation and that Ronnie was also barely talking to Logan. The motives for this were the same as Lilly's. The only thing no one could figure out was why they weren't talking to each other because neither of the girls wanted to discuss their fight with their parents.

As it always happened after any break, there was a parent-teacher conference right after school started. She knew Annie wasn't attending and that meant she had to see Logan, which she wasn't sure she was prepared for.

The first thing she saw when she went into school grounds was Logan in his uniform, hat under his arm. Something turned inside her but she played it down. They both smiled and walked to each other.

"Nice outfit." She joked.

"I came out straight from a flight. I think I might have broken a few sky speed limits." Logan crinkled his face.

"No reckless flying, I hope. I know a lawyer if you ever need one." Veronica smiled at him.

"Still sending business to Cliff McCormick, Esquire? What I need more now is a counselor. You too, I've heard. Teenagers, uhm?"

Veronica's face frowned a little. "Yeah. I never got along with them, don't know what possessed me to have one of my own."

Logan laughed and very soon after Mrs. Heenly was calling everyone inside the classroom to start the conference.

"We should have coffee someday. Next Saturday? Ronnie will be visiting her grandma upstate so maybe if Lilly is going to her dad's you'd have some time?"

"Yeah, she is. She now takes any opportunity to abandon me. Sure, we can have coffee. Do you know that little coffee shop two streets down? It's mine and Lilly's favorite, actually. Three o'clock good to you?"

"Yes. Three o'clock it is." They both entered the classroom with their heads slightly looking down and a childish smile on their faces.

-/-

Suddenly it was Saturday and Veronica felt nervous. And she hated feeling like this. _"What are you, 15 again? It's just a cup of coffee between old friends. He probably has a girlfriend. Heck, he probably has a girlfriend in each city he flies to…" _And Logan wasn't any little bit less nervous than her and he was thinking exactly the same thing.

The time they had set up came and when Veronica arrived at the coffee shop Logan was already sitting there. He looked great wearing dark denim jeans and a very well fitted olive green Henley shirt. Veronica took a few seconds to take that image in.

"Hi. You came."

"Of course I came, Logan. Why wouldn't I?"

Logan looked down at his hands embarrassed. "I… Yeah, of course you'd come. Don't mind me. So, how have you been in the past… what is it, 15, 16 years?"

"Right to the point, hum? Can I at least order first?" She says with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want? I'll go order it for you. Wait, actually don't worry. I'll be right back"

Logan left the table and Veronica with a startled look in her eyes.

He soon came back with a slice of triple chocolate cake and a mocha for her. When she smelled everything she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"You can never have too much chocolate."

"Sure, unless you're a dog. I've heard it's not so good for them."

They were both feeling and acting like teenagers on a first date. They were acting very nervously and smiling at everything and anything.

"So, how are things with Lilly, better?"

"Not so much… And Ronnie?"

"Still doesn't wanna talk to her favorite dad… Anyway, I'm sure it's nothing."

"Anyway, let's cross off all the awkward subjects in one meeting, shall we? You have a daughter named Veronica." A teasing smile was dancing on Veronica's lips.

"We've had this awkward conversation before. Twice. Don't see the need to rehash it." Logan returned her smile.

"I know, I know, favorite aunt, something or other. But how weird is that, really?"

"It was weird at first. It was very weird when I had to tell Annie a while ago." Logan lowered his head, embarrassed.

"And if I know Annie, she laughed in your face. And laughed at me too, I bet."

"Touché." Logan said pointing his finger at her.

"Cross that off the list. Next awkward order of business. What did you do to Dick after…?"

"I made him pay the bill for everyone, didn't you notice?"

"That's nothing, he sweats money. That was a regular Tuesday morning expense for him. I hope you made him hurt."

"I beat him at Halo…" Logan chuckled.

"Oh, great! I'm sure he's in deep pain! Ok, please tell me who the hell _chose_ to breed with Dick, since we're on that topic…"

"Katy is an actress's daughter. She isn't very well known, probably a D-lister but she was kind of a big shot for about 5 minutes back then and she thought, for some reason, that Dick would be a solid push to her career. Don't ask, I don't even know. The boys are from his marriage…"

"Dick's married?" Veronica shrieked.

"Yes, Dick's married. To another real estate mogul. Her name's Jessica and they basically own Southern California now that they joined the companies. Dick's kind of a stay at home dad right now."

"Get out!" Veronica was incredulous.

"Didn't you notice how wild his boys are? That's all him. Once they broke three PlayStation controls in a spawn of half an hour at my house."

"Dick's married." Veronica repeated like Logan hadn't been talking this whole time, her fork with a bit of cake still in it, halfway to her mouth.

Logan laughed nervously once again.

"Yeah, Dick's married. I told you that. What about you? I mean… I know you're not married. I meant… Sorry. How were the past few years?" Logan brought his right hand to the back of his head.

"I went to Stanford, you already know that. Met Ian there and got married after college and had Lilly. We moved to New York when she was two for a job offer for him and I did some photography work part time until she went to school, then I started at The Times and that's been pretty much it." Veronica took a sip of her coffee. "Your turn to share."

Taking a hint from Veronica, Logan took a sip from his mug as well trying to gain some time. "I finished school at Hearst where I met Annie, you already know that too. When she got pregnant I got a wake-up call and enlisted in the Navy. Wanted to do good for the kid." Logan was looking down once again, his signature nervous gesture in full display: his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'd heard. Some time or another I went to Neptune. About the Navy, I mean…" And as a Ping-Pong ball, the embarrassment was going from one side of the table to the other.

"Yeah, so I joined the Navy and when I wasn't deployed I actually was lucky enough to get stationed in San Diego, which turned out great since Annie moved there to teach."

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah. It was what I needed at the time. Discipline and focus."

"I'd never imagined back then that that was what you'd be doing… I _have_ to know," Veronica smiled mischievously "Your call sign was…?"

Logan put both his hands around his cup of coffee and looked down. "Do you really have to know?"

"I must certainly."

"Cruise."

Veronica thought she saw a little red in his cheeks. "Cruise as in the Tom?"

"That would be the one. Son of Hollywood and all… Hated it, as you're basically supposed to."

"I'm glad you found that. That you had the Navy and it was important to you. And I'm also glad we ran into each other."

Logan lifted his eyes to look at Veronica. "We didn't exactly run into each other, more like crashed right into each other… but I'm glad too, you know."

"Good. I have to go now. Have to stop by the paper, but we should do this again. Maybe with the girls. And maybe Annie would like to come too."

"I don't know if the girls will want to do anything with either one of us any time soon but sure. I'll give you a call."

They said their goodbyes and got up to leave the coffee shop, when they were outside they both froze at the entrance.

"Uh, so, subway's that way," Veronica pointed to the right. "I have to go. Bye."

"Do you want me to give you a ride? I have my car parked right there." Logan pointed to the left to a parking garage nearby.

"No thanks. We'd take forever to get there by car. You need to lose your California ways here. And by ways, I mean your car. I hate driving here."

Logan chuckled. "I flew jets, Veronica; I think I can handle a little traffic."


End file.
